Cardiac Party

Cardiac Party singer Ryan McDowell had it all planned: By including a pack of Skittles with a copy of his band’s new EP, Teen Challenge, he says, he was assured of getting at least one positive remark in my review: “The songs sucked, but the Skittles were delicious!” Actually, Teen…

Summer of Sound: Americana Show Saturday

New Times annual local music showcase, Summer of Sound, starts this Saturday at Mill Cue Club. Yes, Mill Cue Club. It’s part of our effort to bring music back to Mill Avenue, where all five of our genre-based shows (Americana, pop, indie, hard rock, hip hop) will be. The show…

You Asked For It: Dude Offline

Dude OfflineMonkey BabyRamper RecordsGRADE: BWe’ve been doing You Asked For It for just over a year now and it’s about time we had our first repeat customer. Dude Offline got his first record, Nerd Love, reviewed by Niki D’Andrea last year, and now he’s waited long enough for his seven…

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at The Marquee: Spazzy and Brilliant

Karen O’s charms are mysterious. The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s frontwoman can’t sing, for one. Truth be told, I’m not sure she would score well singing her own song, “Maps” on the pitch-sensing mic for Rock Band — at least not in expert mode. She’s regarded as a sex symbol, but she looks a lot like…

Sonny Long Responds To This Week’s Cover Story

Ever since Niki D’Andrea and Mike R. Meyer’s cover story on faux celebrity/singer Sonny Long hit newsstands I’ve been waiting to see what Long would have to say about it. All was quiet until about four hours ago, when Long twittered this:I would like to apologize to all my fans,…

Britney Spears Nude Pics Leak, Jay-Z Disses Autotune, Jordin Sparks Video

Idolator: Jordin Sparks Is Out Standing In Her BattlefieldElectric Mustache: Tonight In Phoenix: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Crystal AntlersRolling Stone: Jay-Z Calls For “Death Of Auto-Tune” With “Blueprint 3″ CutPLM: Phoenix Women Who RockArizona State Press: “Figuring Prominently” displays eclectic mixIdolator: Vintage Topless Britney Pictures Leak, World Continues To Spin On…

The Aggrolites Make ‘Em Sing And Skank At The Clubhouse

In it’s pure, island-bred, form reggae tends to make pretty poor sing-along music for white people. Sure, “Buffalo Soldier” seems like a good sing-a-long, given it’s perfect pace and easily learnable lyrics, but when push comes to shove, in trying to mimic Bob Marley’s accent the average white suburbanite ends up creating a…

Post 2K

Yes, this is Up On The Sun’s 2,000th post. Can you believe it?I realize I’m opening a can of words here, but anything you’d like to see change here on the music blog most easily reached by typing www.PHXmusic.com in to your preferred browser’s address bar? More coverage of your friend’s band? Less coverage…

Just Announced: Miley Cyrus, Bo Bice, Juvenile

I’ve never been sure why there isn’t more of a rivalry between Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, but, aside from some boy drama, the two country-tinged pop princesses seem to co-exist happily.If you missed Swift’s excellent show at Jobing.com Arena last month, you’ll have a chance to check out what…

Petty Thieves

Not too many local shows sound more fun than this: Some of the Valley’s best Americana, country, and rock singers getting together for a full night of Tom Petty songs at Yucca Tap Room. “Petty Thieves” features our old pal Chris Orf, a New Times freelancer, Jim Bachmann, who wowed…

You Asked For It: Chad Krystal$

Chad Krystal$ Superconscious (Self-released) GRADE: B-I generally try to make our weekly You Asked For It review more about music than career counseling, but there’s no way to avoid it with this week’s pick, Phoenix rapper Chad Krystals.Krystal$ has some things going for him. His white boy flow isn’t bad,…

Just Announced: Tears for Fears, KMFDM, Lyle Lovett, Ratt

Our weekly concert announcements are always a bit of a “Wait, those guys are still alive and playing music” shock, but I’ve never been quite as blindsided as I was seeing Tears For Fears slated to place Tempe Marketplace in July.Yes, Tears for Fears. They’re still around. In fact, the…